Which has better valuation and earnings, MRK or AMGN?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Amgen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.70 $18.25B $3.55 34.85 Amgen $36.75B 5.34 $7.71B $14.37 25.29

Is MRK or AMGN more profitable?

Amgen has a net margin of 20.96% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Amgen's return on equity of 137.41% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73% Amgen 20.96% 137.41% 13.28%

Does the media favor MRK or AMGN?

In the previous week, Amgen had 1 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for Amgen and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Amgen's average media sentiment score of 1.23 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.05 indicating that Amgen is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 22 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Amgen 27 Very Positive mention(s) 3 Positive mention(s) 5 Neutral mention(s) 2 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has better earnings & valuation, GILD or MRK?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Gilead Sciences $29.44B 5.47 $8.51B $7.34 17.69 Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.70 $18.25B $3.55 34.85

Does the media refer more to GILD or MRK?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 1 more articles in the media than Gilead Sciences. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 38 mentions for Gilead Sciences. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Gilead Sciences' score of 1.00 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Gilead Sciences 21 Very Positive mention(s) 5 Positive mention(s) 1 Neutral mention(s) 6 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Merck & Co., Inc. 22 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, MRK or MRNA?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Moderna. Moderna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.70 $18.25B $3.55 34.85 Moderna $1.94B 13.93 -$2.82B -$8.15 N/A

Is MRK or MRNA more profitable?

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to Moderna's net margin of -143.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Moderna's return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73% Moderna -143.55% -26.64% -19.32%

Does the media favor MRK or MRNA?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 11 more articles in the media than Moderna. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 28 mentions for Moderna. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Moderna's score of 0.74 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 22 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Moderna 12 Very Positive mention(s) 7 Positive mention(s) 5 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Does the media refer more to MRK or VRTX?

In the previous week, Vertex Pharmaceuticals had 24 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 63 mentions for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' score of 0.76 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Merck & Co., Inc. 22 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Vertex Pharmaceuticals 31 Very Positive mention(s) 10 Positive mention(s) 19 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Which has better earnings and valuation, ABBV or MRK?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than AbbVie. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AbbVie, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Company Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio AbbVie $61.16B 7.16 $4.23B $2.03 122.17 Merck & Co., Inc. $65.01B 4.70 $18.25B $3.55 34.85

Is ABBV or MRK more profitable?

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to AbbVie's net margin of 5.79%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat AbbVie's return on equity. Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets AbbVie 5.79% -576.45% 13.39% Merck & Co., Inc. 13.59% 27.55% 10.73%

Does the media favor ABBV or MRK?

In the previous week, AbbVie had 1 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for AbbVie and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat AbbVie's score of 0.87 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the news media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment AbbVie 18 Very Positive mention(s) 5 Positive mention(s) 10 Neutral mention(s) 1 Negative mention(s) 0 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Merck & Co., Inc. 22 Very Positive mention(s) 6 Positive mention(s) 6 Neutral mention(s) 0 Negative mention(s) 1 Very Negative mention(s) Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

$123.72 -1.35 (-1.08%)

Closing price 07/10/2026 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$123.58 -0.13 (-0.11%)

As of 07/10/2026 07:59 PM Eastern

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MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

Should you buy Merck & Co., Inc. stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Merck & Co., Inc. with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Merck & Co., Inc. include Amgen (AMGN), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Moderna (MRNA), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), and AbbVie (ABBV). These companies are all part of the "medical" sector.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment and valuation.

In the previous week, Amgen had 1 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for Amgen and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Amgen's average media sentiment score of 1.23 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.05 indicating that Amgen is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	22 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Amgen	27 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Amgen is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.70	$18.25B	$3.55	34.85
Amgen	$36.75B	5.34	$7.71B	$14.37	25.29

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.5% of Amgen shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Amgen shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $132.72, indicating a potential upside of 7.28%. Amgen has a consensus target price of $355.73, indicating a potential downside of 2.11%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Amgen.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.70
Amgen	2 Sell rating(s)	15 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.43

Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Amgen pays an annual dividend of $10.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Amgen pays out 70.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Amgen has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Amgen is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Amgen has a net margin of 20.96% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Amgen's return on equity of 137.41% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Amgen	20.96%	137.41%	13.28%

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Amgen has a beta of 0.41, indicating that its share price is 59% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Amgen beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Gilead Sciences?

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, valuation, dividends and profitability.

Gilead Sciences has a net margin of 30.99% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Gilead Sciences' return on equity of 48.19% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Gilead Sciences	30.99%	48.19%	18.28%
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Gilead Sciences. Gilead Sciences is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Gilead Sciences	$29.44B	5.47	$8.51B	$7.34	17.69
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.70	$18.25B	$3.55	34.85

Gilead Sciences has a beta of 0.32, meaning that its stock price is 68% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, meaning that its stock price is 81% less volatile than the broader market.

Gilead Sciences pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Gilead Sciences pays out 44.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gilead Sciences has raised its dividend for 10 consecutive years and Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Merck & Co., Inc. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

83.7% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Gilead Sciences shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 1 more articles in the media than Gilead Sciences. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 38 mentions for Gilead Sciences. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Gilead Sciences' score of 1.00 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Gilead Sciences	21 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Merck & Co., Inc.	22 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus price target of $159.04, suggesting a potential upside of 22.50%. Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus price target of $132.72, suggesting a potential upside of 7.28%. Given Gilead Sciences' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Gilead Sciences is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Gilead Sciences	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	26 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.90
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.70

Summary

Gilead Sciences beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Moderna?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, media sentiment, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus price target of $132.72, suggesting a potential upside of 7.28%. Moderna has a consensus price target of $38.27, suggesting a potential downside of 43.95%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Moderna.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.70
Moderna	5 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.83

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 11 more articles in the media than Moderna. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 28 mentions for Moderna. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Moderna's score of 0.74 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	22 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Moderna	12 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, indicating that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Moderna has a beta of 0.94, indicating that its share price is 6% less volatile than the broader market.

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Moderna. Moderna is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.70	$18.25B	$3.55	34.85
Moderna	$1.94B	13.93	-$2.82B	-$8.15	N/A

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to Moderna's net margin of -143.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Moderna's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Moderna	-143.55%	-26.64%	-19.32%

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.3% of Moderna shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 10.8% of Moderna shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. beats Moderna on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.

Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, meaning that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a beta of 0.29, meaning that its share price is 71% less volatile than the broader market.

Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus target price of $132.72, indicating a potential upside of 7.28%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a consensus target price of $557.09, indicating a potential upside of 14.77%. Given Vertex Pharmaceuticals' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vertex Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than Merck & Co., Inc..

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.70
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	21 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.84

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has a net margin of 35.51% compared to Merck & Co., Inc.'s net margin of 13.59%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	35.51%	23.86%	17.13%

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.70	$18.25B	$3.55	34.85
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$12.00B	10.26	$3.95B	$16.86	28.79

In the previous week, Vertex Pharmaceuticals had 24 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 63 mentions for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Vertex Pharmaceuticals' score of 0.76 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Merck & Co., Inc.	22 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	31 Very Positive mention(s)	10 Positive mention(s)	19 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.0% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals beats Merck & Co., Inc. on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to AbbVie?

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

70.2% of AbbVie shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of AbbVie shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, AbbVie had 1 more articles in the media than Merck & Co., Inc.. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for AbbVie and 39 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc.. Merck & Co., Inc.'s average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat AbbVie's score of 0.87 indicating that Merck & Co., Inc. is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
AbbVie	18 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	10 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Merck & Co., Inc.	22 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than AbbVie. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AbbVie, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AbbVie	$61.16B	7.16	$4.23B	$2.03	122.17
Merck & Co., Inc.	$65.01B	4.70	$18.25B	$3.55	34.85

AbbVie pays an annual dividend of $6.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. AbbVie pays out 340.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 95.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AbbVie has increased its dividend for 53 consecutive years and Merck & Co., Inc. has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. AbbVie is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

AbbVie presently has a consensus price target of $262.81, indicating a potential upside of 5.97%. Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus price target of $132.72, indicating a potential upside of 7.28%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than AbbVie.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AbbVie	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	17 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.84
Merck & Co., Inc.	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.70

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 13.59% compared to AbbVie's net margin of 5.79%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity of 27.55% beat AbbVie's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AbbVie	5.79%	-576.45%	13.39%
Merck & Co., Inc.	13.59%	27.55%	10.73%

AbbVie has a beta of 0.3, suggesting that its share price is 70% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.19, suggesting that its share price is 81% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

AbbVie and Merck & Co., Inc. tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MRK and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

MRK vs. The Competition

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Metric	Merck & Co., Inc.	Large Cap Pharma Industry	Medical Sector	NYSE Exchange
Market Cap	$308.90B	$333.45B	$7.12B	$23.43B
Dividend Yield	2.72%	2.68%	2.68%	4.04%
P/E Ratio	34.85	29.70	27.22	31.27
Price / Sales	4.70	5.41	590.16	20.39
Price / Cash	10.95	14.20	49.34	25.05
Price / Book	5.83	8.37	10.90	4.77
Net Income	$18.25B	$11.61B	$3.57B	$1.07B
7 Day Performance	-4.34%	-2.39%	-0.25%	-0.50%
1 Month Performance	2.41%	7.32%	5.77%	2.09%
1 Year Performance	48.43%	25.70%	28.14%	16.03%

Merck & Co., Inc. Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.	4.4465 of 5 stars	$123.72 -1.1%	$132.72 +7.3%	+47.2%	$308.90B	$65.01B	34.85	75,000	Trending News Analyst Forecast
AMGN Amgen	4.1051 of 5 stars	$362.22 -3.2%	$355.50 -1.9%	+21.0%	$195.24B	$36.75B	25.17	31,500	Positive News Analyst Forecast
GILD Gilead Sciences	4.8831 of 5 stars	$128.20 -2.3%	$159.22 +24.2%	+13.3%	$159.07B	$29.44B	17.46	17,000	Positive News Analyst Forecast
MRNA Moderna	2.1873 of 5 stars	$81.14 +1.7%	$37.13 -54.2%	+99.2%	$32.11B	$1.94B	N/A	4,700	Trending News Analyst Forecast Options Volume
VRTX Vertex Pharmaceuticals	4.0434 of 5 stars	$517.91 -1.9%	$555.91 +7.3%	+1.2%	$131.14B	$12.00B	30.65	6,400	Trending News Analyst Forecast Insider Trade

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This page (NYSE:MRK) was last updated on 7/11/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

MRK vs. AMGN, GILD, MRNA, VRTX, and ABBV

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Amgen?

Does the media favor MRK or AMGN?

Which has better valuation and earnings, MRK or AMGN?

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in MRK or AMGN?

Do analysts rate MRK or AMGN?

Is MRK or AMGN a better dividend stock?

Is MRK or AMGN more profitable?

Which has more risk & volatility, MRK or AMGN?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Gilead Sciences?

Is GILD or MRK more profitable?

Which has better earnings & valuation, GILD or MRK?

Which has more risk and volatility, GILD or MRK?

Is GILD or MRK a better dividend stock?

Do insiders and institutionals believe in GILD or MRK?

Does the media refer more to GILD or MRK?

Do analysts rate GILD or MRK?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Moderna?

Do analysts rate MRK or MRNA?

Does the media favor MRK or MRNA?

Which has more volatility & risk, MRK or MRNA?

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, MRK or MRNA?

Is MRK or MRNA more profitable?

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of MRK or MRNA?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?

Which has more volatility and risk, MRK or VRTX?

Do analysts rate MRK or VRTX?

Is MRK or VRTX more profitable?

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, MRK or VRTX?

Does the media refer more to MRK or VRTX?

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MRK or VRTX?

Summary

How does Merck & Co., Inc. compare to AbbVie?

Do institutionals and insiders have more ownership in ABBV or MRK?

Does the media favor ABBV or MRK?

Which has better earnings and valuation, ABBV or MRK?

Is ABBV or MRK a better dividend stock?

Do analysts rate ABBV or MRK?

Is ABBV or MRK more profitable?

Which has more volatility and risk, ABBV or MRK?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

MRK vs. The Competition

Merck & Co., Inc. Competitors List

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Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

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